Since moving to Arrakis desert climes, I get excited whenever there is a little rain. A brisk walk on a cloudy evening brings peace to my soul and ease to my thoughts. The other day we had one of those, and it was almost like going home.

I’ve become aware of the joy of animal friends. My neighbor’s cat adores me, and I recently met a badger who lives in a tree and tolerates me. At the park, there’s big Canadian goslings, fluffy like clouds, and ducklings that would fit in a teacup. The cheeky squirrels at my parents’ house always make me smile.

On these walks, I would usually listen to booktube or “theology tube,” but lately I’ve been listening to a lot of music. I love the new twenty one pilots singles and just rediscovered their older album Trench (2018). The traces of a story it tells really resonate with me today. It certainly makes a case for revisiting old art you didn’t “get” before. Before it was just an album that had a few songs I liked; now I think it’s a masterpiece.

But back to books. I have finished Confessions! It took my boyfriend and me about 2.5 months to read it, at about 1.5 books (chapters) a week with weekly check-ins. It was pretty tough towards the end, and the last book didn’t make much sense to me. We got a lot out of the first 2/3 though; it was well worth the effort, and reading it with him was a lovely experience. Review soon.

Another recent happening is my latest YouTube video has done really well. It’s approaching 50k views—for comparison, my previous most-popular video (Emily Dickinson) has 44k views over 4 years. I’ve never experienced this before, a rare synergy of algorithmic favor and high-quality engagement. Several times a day, I receive a thoughtful comment on it. As a tiny YouTuber, it’s odd to be suddenly so visible.

This would be the ideal time to double down on content creation and make the most of the moment. But I have been busy reading (imagine that!), trip planning, and spending time with loved ones. And while I no longer get the kind of spring SAD I used, motivation is not very high right now. There’s been a lot in work and personal life that needs my focus.

What else am I reading? I am still in The Hound of the Baskervilles but picking up speed. In the past I did not appreciate this story very much; it didn’t seem to have much going on. Today, I really enjoy the Gothic atmosphere and the subtle details, like Dr Mortimer’s sharpness and Watson’s solo detective work. In fact, of all of the Sherlock Holmes stories I’ve reread so far, this has most exceeded my expectations. I expect to finish it in the next few days.

I have also started Swann’s Way by Proust, Quicksand by Larsen, and Eyeless in Gaza by Huxley. Except for Quicksand, these are readalongs. I will be diving deeper into these books in May.

Now for a song. I won’t share any Trench songs because they are Very Sad(tm). Here is a happy Summer Salt song that’s also been in my 2024 playlist: